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A particular paint stroke. A certain shaft of light. A precise placement of a chisel.

For centuries, the Bible’s powerful accounts have inspired artists to express the beauty, emphasize the power, and elaborate on the meaning of God’s Word.

In God’s Word Through Glass you’ll experience the artistry of six stained glass masterpieces while discovering and discussing the scriptural inspiration behind Through A rti s t s ’ E y e s

each one.

Find the links between Scripture, art, and your life as we investigate: Overruling God | Matisse’s Tree of Life | Genesis 3 and Revelation 22

•

Resisting Leaders | The Joseph Window in Chartres Cathedral | Genesis 37

•

Immediate Gratification | Chagall’s Reuben

•

Easy Answers | The Temptation of Christ in Milan Cathedral | Matthew 4

•

Mocking Holiness | Rouault’s Flagellated Christ

•

Comfortable Religion | Tiffany’s Christ Knocking at the Door | Revelation 3

G o d ’ s W or d through gla s s

•

| Genesis 49 and Luke 15 | Mark 15

Enjoy rich, full-color images of these six pieces and other associated works, read about the lives of their creators, and learn from the Master Artist in a creative way through questions designed for personal or group study.

God ’ s W or d T H R O U G H G L A SS

Also available in the Through Artists’ Eyes Bible study series God’s Word on Canvas

|

God’s Word in Stone

RELIGION / Biblical Studies / Bible Study Guides ISBN 978-0-7847-2487-3

Through Artists’ Eyes An Explor ati on of Bible-inspired Art | 6 Studies

9 780784 724873 021535010

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Adult

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Contents How to Use These Studies......................................... 16

Session 1 Overruling God’s commands...................................... 17 Images for Session 1.................................................................4

Session 2 Resisting visionary leadership................................. 25 Images for Session 2................................................................ 6

Session 3 Seeking immediate gratification............................... 33 Images for Session 3................................................................ 8

Session 4 Looking for the easy way........................................... 41 Images for Session 4............................................................... 10

Session 5 Mocking all that is holy............................................ 49 Images for Session 5............................................................... 12

Session 6 Choosing comfortable religion................................ 57 Images for Session 6............................................................... 14

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The Joseph Window, Panels 1–8 1200s 6

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7

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The Joseph Window 1200s

Our Lady of the Beautiful Window c. 1150

The Jesse Tree c. 1150

How to Use These studies

G

od ’ s

Word Through Glass

is designed to help you learn more about stained glass masterpieces and the Book that inspired them.

While we recommend that these studies be done in a group setting, they also can serve as engaging personal reading.

Each session follows this general outline:

Broken pieces An introductory, group-building activity that allows you to share opinions about the big issue of the study.

The artist’s touch An examination of the work, life, and thoughts of the artist.

The Master’s light A Bible study that helps place the work of the artist within a biblical perspective.

Piecing it together Discussion that will help you apply the principles of the study to daily life.

In addition, the first page of each study contains a fun activity that can lead into initial discussion of the topic. If you have enough time in your session to begin this way, it can serve as a good group-building activity. It can also be “homework.” Ask your members to look at that activity for the following session in preparation for the next meeting.

Finally, each session includes a page of resources. The Bible study resources can prepare the group leader to go even more deeply into the Scripture text of the session. A leader may want to have one or more of the art book resources available for the group to review. We also may suggest a video or other resource that could be used to augment a session at the leader’s discretion.

The masterpieces featured in this book have awed art lovers for years and years.

Furthermore, the Book that was the inspiration for these masterpieces continues to touch the hearts of those who seek a deeper understanding of it. May you benefit in both ways from God’s Word Through Glass!

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SESSION 2

Re sisting visio n a ry le adership Window The Joseph Window, Chartres Cathedral Scripture Genesis 37:3-20 Theme of study Messages from God may raise more anger than awareness.

I

t’s true!

The following predictions were actually made.

“The horse is here to stay but the automobile is only a novelty—a fad.”

The president of the Michigan Savings Bank advising Henry Ford’s lawyer not to invest in the Ford Motor Company, 1903.

“It will be gone by June.”

Variety, passing judgment on rock ’n’ roll in 1955.

“By 1985, air pollution will have reduced the amount of sunlight reaching earth by one half.”

Life Magazine, January 1970.

“But what . . . is it good for?”

IBM executive Robert Lloyd, speaking in 1968 about the microprocessor, the heart of today’s computers.

“Louis Pasteur’s theory of germs is ridiculous fiction.”

Pierre Pachet, British surgeon and Professor of Physiology at Toulouse, 1872.

“So many centuries after the Creation it is unlikely that anyone could find hitherto unknown lands of any value.”

Committee advising King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain regarding a proposal by Christopher Columbus, 1486.

“Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible.”

Lord Kelvin, British mathematician and physicist, president of the British Royal Society, 1895.

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Which of these do you find the most outrageous? Why? Can you think of any current predictions that might one day fit in this list?

Baseball legend Yogi Berra is said to have remarked, “The future ain’t what it used to be.” If it were, it wouldn’t be so hard to predict! Most people fail to have a clear vision of what lies ahead. But what if a true prophet were among us? How might we treat such a person?

broken pieces 1

List three people of the past that you would call visionaries. Explain each choice.

2

Looking at your list, which of your visionaries were rejected by many during their lifetimes? Why do you think that might be?

3

Consider these words: visionary, prophet, dreamer. In what ways are the words similar? In what ways are they different?

4

If you had a choice between the three, which one would you follow? Why?

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THE ARTIST’S TOUCH

Since 858, there has been a church on the site of the great Cathedral of Chartres (50 miles southwest of Paris), known as the Queen of Cathedrals. The Cathedral was also a center for learning with a school attached. From these schools, the first universities evolved in the twelfth century.

1

In past centuries the church was seen as the place one would go to seek information and understanding. Why do you think that is generally not the case today?

2

To what other sources do people today turn for visionary leadership? What makes these sources more appealing than the church for many?

Gothic architecture introduced the flying buttress, a way of supporting the wall of a building without columns. This made it possible for large, unobstructed windows to be installed. In the first half of the thirteenth century, artists had completed over 175 stained glass windows in the Chartres Cathedral, covering an area of about 22,000 square feet.

3

Take a look at a few of the windows from this Gothic cathedral that are pictured on page 7. Imagine that you entered this cathedral on a sunny day. Describe some feelings you may have in that situation.

4

What different feelings would you get from viewing illuminated windows that you would not get from paintings of the same biblical characters?

In the Middle Ages art was didactic—designed to teach. The Catholic Church commissioned paintings, windows, and sculptures for that reason. The history of the world from the creation, the dogmas of religion, the examples of the saints, the hierarchy of the virtues, the sciences and arts were all taught to worshipers by the windows and sculptures of the Catholic Church. The oldest window in the cathedral, The

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Jesse Tree, teaches the royal lineage of Jesus by picturing him at the top with notable Old Testament figures below him.

The Chartres Cathedral highly revered Mary, the mother of Jesus. Chartres became one of the most important places of pilgrimage in the Middle Ages, claiming to own a veil worn by Mary. Therefore, the window, Our Lady of the Beautiful Window, has a prominent place in the cathedral.

Other windows were created by funds given by donors. Look at the two semicircular sections on the left and right bottom corners of the Joseph window on page 6.

These panels have nothing to do with the story of Joseph. They simply illustrate that the entire window was funded by the bankers’ guild.

5

The window of Mary was prominent because of the interest of the cathedral in venerating her. Bankers sponsored the construction of the Joseph window. Do you think a sponsor of a teaching resource would affect the content that is taught? Explain and give some current examples.

During the Middle Ages the Old Testament story of Joseph was very popular and was found in many stained glass windows, illuminated manuscripts, sculptures, sermons, poetry, and drama of the time. From early Christian history Joseph was believed to have prefigured Christ, who appears at the very top of the window.

6

Examine the remaining panels of the Joseph window on page 6.

Suggest which figures may represent Joseph in these panels.

7

Imagine that you have no Bible and that all of your knowledge of Joseph’s story comes from these panels. Try to guess what each panel is saying about Joseph.

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The master’s light

The account pictured in these panels is found in Genesis 37. Read these verses and try to match each with a panel in the window. vv. 5-11 vv. 12-14 vv. 15-20 vv. 21-24 vv. 25-30 vv. 31-35 Genesis 37:3, 4 reveals that Joseph’s father gave Joseph a special coat. Although Joseph was younger than ten of his eleven brothers, the coat may have indicated that Joseph had rights in the family usually only accorded the firstborn son.

1

Knowing about the coat and the dreams that followed, how do you explain Joseph’s brothers’ feelings toward Joseph?

2

What similar examples of jealousy do you see in our world today?

List some ways that wanting what someone else has affects a relationship with that person.

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3

Reread verse 11. Contrast the way Jacob reacted to Joseph’s dreams and the way Joseph’s brothers reacted.

4

Think of an idea you have rejected. To what extent is your disbelief the result of critical thinking? To what extent is it an emotional reaction?

5

Civil law differentiates between crimes of passion and premeditated acts. Review and list the crimes committed by Joseph’s brothers as a result of their resentment of his visions (vv. 18-28).

6

What evidence leads you to believe that these crimes were either unthinking acts caused by a sudden burst of anger or coldly calculated acts of violence?

7

In a number of recent scandals, the attempted cover-up of a crime led to more crimes. Reread verses 31-35. Explain the cover-up resulting from the crime and how it created even more victims.

The account of Joseph continues in Genesis, telling of what happened after his brothers sold him into slavery. Instead of dying a slave, Joseph rose to a position of great authority in the powerful nation of Egypt.

8

How would the story of Joseph and his dreams have been different if his brothers had responded to them differently?

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9

As noted earlier, Joseph has been seen as a Christ-figure. Compare the account of Joseph to the summary of Jesus’ ministry given in Acts 13:26-41.

PIECING IT TOGETHER

Review what the Bible has to say about Joseph and his dreams: Emotions such as jealousy can cause us to reject visionaries without fair evaluation of their statements (Genesis 37:11). desire to silence a visionary sometimes turns into premeditated violence (GenA esis 37:20).

Silencing a visionary often means deceiving others with convincing lies (Genesis 37:31-33).

1

Give an example of one or more of these reactions from your personal experience.

From the time of Joseph through the time of Christ, people rejected the messages of biblical leaders. To this day, their messages found in Scripture are often treated in the same ways.

2

Consider your personal reactions to the Bible today. Which of the following might you need to do?

• Refuse to simply “write off” the Bible as ancient and irrelevant; instead, seriously consider what it says.

• Resist labeling or making personal attacks against individuals who believe the Bible in order to discredit them.

• Subject ideas and philosophies that oppose the Bible to the same rigorous examination and critique given to the Bible itself.

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Resources Bible Study Swindoll, Charles R. Joseph: A Man of Integrity and Forgiveness. Great Lives Series #3. (Thomas Nelson, 1998).

DVD Joseph. The Bible Collection. (Turner Home Entertainment, 1995).

Classic Literature Mann, Thomas. Joseph and His Brothers (John E. Woods, trans.; Everyman’s Library, 2005). German novelist Mann considered this fictionalized retelling of the Joseph story to be his greatest work.

Art Books Belcari, Riccardo, and Giulia Marrucchi. Art of the Middle Ages: Masterpieces in Painting, Sculpture and Architecture (Barnes & Noble, 2007).

Dowley, Tim. The Bible in Stained Glass (Morehouse Publishing, 1990).

Mâle, Émile. The Gothic Image: Religious Art in France of the Thirteenth Century (Westview Press, 1973).

Morris, Elizabeth. Stained and Decorative Glass (Exeter Books, 1988).

Web Sites 15 pages of windows from Chartres Cathedral http://www.paradoxplace.com/Photo Pages/France/Chartres/Chartres Cathedral .htm Chartres Cathedral on MEDART Web site: http://vrcoll.fa.pitt.edu/medart/image/France/Chartres/Chartres-Cathedral/ chartres-main.html http://www.biblegateway.com http://www.oxfordartonline.com

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A particular paint stroke. A certain shaft of light. A precise placement of a chisel.

For centuries, the Bible’s powerful accounts have inspired artists to express the beauty, emphasize the power, and elaborate on the meaning of God’s Word.

In God’s Word Through Glass you’ll experience the artistry of six stained glass masterpieces while discovering and discussing the scriptural inspiration behind Through A rti s t s ’ E y e s

each one.

Find the links between Scripture, art, and your life as we investigate: Overruling God | Matisse’s Tree of Life | Genesis 3 and Revelation 22

•

Resisting Leaders | The Joseph Window in Chartres Cathedral | Genesis 37

•

Immediate Gratification | Chagall’s Reuben

•

Easy Answers | The Temptation of Christ in Milan Cathedral | Matthew 4

•

Mocking Holiness | Rouault’s Flagellated Christ

•

Comfortable Religion | Tiffany’s Christ Knocking at the Door | Revelation 3

G o d ’ s W or d through gla s s

•

| Genesis 49 and Luke 15 | Mark 15

Enjoy rich, full-color images of these six pieces and other associated works, read about the lives of their creators, and learn from the Master Artist in a creative way through questions designed for personal or group study.

God ’ s W or d T H R O U G H G L A SS

Also available in the Through Artists’ Eyes Bible study series God’s Word on Canvas

|

God’s Word in Stone

RELIGION / Biblical Studies / Bible Study Guides ISBN 978-0-7847-2487-3

Through Artists’ Eyes An Explor ati on of Bible-inspired Art | 6 Studies

9 780784 724873

021535010

95181 GodsWordGlassCover-SC.indd 1

Adult

2/12/10 2:00:32 PM